Blake Crane gives top marks to “The Handmaiden” for Film Racket

At first, a period drama set in 1930s Korea during the Japanese occupation might seem incongruous with the rest of director Park Chank-wook’s filmography (Oldboy, Stoker). But, as we learn early on in The Handmaiden, things aren’t always as they seem. Park masterfully peels the layers of the onion in this tale of treachery and sexual awakening, keeping us riveted and off-balance for the duration of the film’s two-and-a-half hours.